The Aftermath's Glory
by WeCracka-lackin
Summary: Six years passed since the Hundred Year War and new adventures knock on our hero's doorsteps. When family and friends are pushed far enough, and when legends come true, revolutionary changes begin. (Aftermath of the war. Normal pairings.)
1. Chapter 1

**Avatar; no. Ideas; yes.**

**Enjoy~**

Aang

I've tried to stop counting the days. The weeks. The months. The _years. _It's been _years. _The War ended years ago. And try as I might, I still wake up ready for battle. Honestly, it isn't a good thing, but it happens. I'm not paranoid. Or, I've finally convinced myself of that. Katara was constantly telling me to stop thinking too hard about it. It got so bad that even Sokka told me to stop thinking too much. It's better now. But I still wake up the same. I still wake up feeling as if something is going to happen. And maybe it's my Avatar senses coming in, and maybe I'm paranoid still. _No. _I think. _I'm not paranoid._

I walk from my balcony and down the steps. There isn't time for random thinking; I've got to get to the Fire Nation. Zuko says something was going on and it couldn't be told over paper. It was strange for him to send a letter, he's been a fine ruler for his nation and usually came up with better ideas any of us did. It didn't concern me, which was also strange, but intrigued me.

When I'm at the base of the stairs, I see Katara sitting on the couch along with Sokka and Suki. I said we'd all take Appa. Katara glances from the couch and up at me.

"That was a long time for getting your shoes on," she says, raising her eyebrow at me.

I scratch the back of my neck, "Heh, yeah. Sorry, I zone out for a bit. Don't worry though, I'm ready now." I smile as I approach her, holding out her hand to help her up.

"Such a gentleman," she grins and takes my hand, pulling herself up. Her head comes to my nose. Yep. I'm officially taller than her. I didn't actually hit my… "growth spurt" as Sokka called it, until I was fourteen. Two years after the war ended. Luckily, being eighteen now, I'm no longer awkward in height. Or body for that matter. Katara is constantly joking that my voice no longer squeaks when I talk. Instead, it's a smooth low rumble. Or, so it sounds from inside my head. Who know what it sounds like outside my own ears.

I keep her hand within mine and we walk out of my house and onto the grassy yard where Appa lays. I'm surprised the grass hasn't died yet from where he lays. He hardly moves nowadays.

"Aang," I hear Sokka say my name. I turn to him and he grins at me. "Listen, I've got this idea. It's when you've got three people, earth, water, and fire, on a team. Each team will have to face each other like a knock-out round and-"

"Sokka, we've gone over this…" I hear Katara sigh behind me. "Bending shouldn't be a game-" Sokka opens his mouth to try and say something but again, Katara cuts him off, "_Or _a sport."

"I'm telling you though!" he looks to me with a pleading expression I know too well. "You're always talking about how this city that you're planning to build will be a lot of expenses, even if you are the Avatar! This will get you _all _the money you'll need!" His eyes glow with excitement. I almost forget that he's twenty years old. Sometimes he still seems like a kid.

Suki sighs next to him, "How do you expect people to actually watch others knock each other-"

"Where'd we find Toph?" he asks, matter-of-factly.

She sighs and I let out a loose chuckle that rises to my throat. "I'll think about it, Sokka." I smile at him, letting him know that it wasn't such a bad idea. I admit, a _lot _of people watch that stuff. And it seemed like a good way for young benders to learn how to fight without expecting a war. Fighting in a friendly manner. Who knew _that _was possible.

I feel Katara lightly smack my arm with a playful scowl on her face. "Don't encourage him," she tries to keep a serious face but it falters and she just smiles and looks to Appa, who we are now right in front of.

Sokka laughs and helps Suki onto Appa, and though we all know she doesn't need it, she accepts it anyway. "Don't listen to her, Aang," Sokka says from Appas saddle.

I roll my eyes, "You know, it's not like she's my girlfriend or anything." I know the sarcasm in my voice is audible and I realize just how much Sokka was rubbing off on me. I swear, sarcasm should be known as a virus. It spreads so quickly.

He winks at me, "Exactly."

I let go of Katara's hand and hop onto Appa, grabing her hand once again and helping her atop the sky-bison. "M'lady," I say as she stands beside me, her hand still outstretched and gripping my own. She smiles and kisses my cheek, sitting beside me.

"Hey, no PDA!" Sokka calls from the back of the saddle where his arm is stretched around Suki's shoulders. I ignore him and swirl into the air, sitting on top of my over-sized friend's head.

"Yip-yip!" I say, hearing Appa's yowl of agreement and then we swoosh into the air.

I don't know what to expect when we get to the Fire Nation, and I don't think the meeting will end well. But wither way, tomorrow will come and we'll face another day. Let's just hope we won't face another day in battle. In war.

**Thanks for reading. Yes. I'm writing in this perspective. I'll use different POVs for different scenarios. Like, Zuko's in some, Katara's, Sokka's, Toph's (sorry I didn't mention her in this chapter.) All of their perspectives maybe. Mostly Aang though, or I assume.**

**Sorry for the shortness and randomness of this chapter. I leave you no cliff-hanger or anything, so let me tell you what to expect.**

**Zuko has some news to tell them and it will have to do with, a.) another war, b.) a secret, and c.) a new generations of fighting. I'll alternate some things and keep others. Keep you're mind open!**

**Thanks for reading!**

**We Cracka-lackin.**


	2. Chapter 2

**Avatar; no. Ideas; yes.**

**Enjoy~**

Aang

When we reach the Fire Nation, the guards greet us respectfully and shows us to the palace. Though, we already know where it is. I feel Katara grab my hand. Years ago, I would have thought of her gesture in an intimate way, but now it only seems like saying, hello. Though my heart may skip a beat, by face no longer flushes and goes red. I look down to her and smile. She smiles back.

We reach the palace doors and the guard tries to escort us further but I wave him off saying we knew where we're going.

"Hey, where's Toph?" I hear Sokka's voice beside me. I see him look around in the corner of my eye and the question he asks finally reaches my brain. _Where is Toph? _I thought she'd be waiting for us here, and even though we aren't in the meeting room yet, I have a feeling she isn't here. Maybe Zuko hasn't talked to her about it. In fact, he only sent me the letter, and I hadn't seen Toph in two years. It'd make sense if he was only expecting me to be here meeting him. Hopefully I'm not intruding on anything.

I shrug, which seems to satisfy Sokka enough. I find that we're already in front of the large doors that leads into the throne room- or whatever you call it. Personally, I just think it's an over-sized, over-dramatic office. I push open the door, lighter than I thought it's be- or maybe I'm getting stronger…

"Zuko?" I call out when the door opens. I look behind the dim flames where the FireLord would usually sit, but he wasn't there.

I hear footsteps, "Aang, you're here-" he stops and looks around at the group, "A…nd you brought company," he muses aloud. I can't tell if he's bothered by them or not.

I laugh nervously and scratch the back of my head, a nervous habit I need to get rid of. "Ahhh, yeah, I did. Is that a problem?"

He shakes his head, "I guess not, I was just planning on this being with you."

Sokka furrows his brows, I can already tell he feels left out. "And what's that suppose to mean? You don't want us here?"

Zuko's face faults into an unreadable expression. But when _is _his expression readable besides when he's angry? "I just said, it doesn't matter."

Sokka is about to speak up again, but Katara speaks first. "What's the problem?" she asks, the room getting quiet.

Zuko takes in a deep breath, "I know this may sound crazy, and that's why I wanted Aang here alone so he could tell you guys. I'm not one to break news to people-"

"You know, you _are _a ruler of a nation, you should probably work on that-" Zuko shoots Sokka a look and he quiets down.

"As I was saying," he began again, "There's something going on that will change the Fire Nation for a long time."

I stand up straiter. Change the Fire Nation? What does he mean? "What are you saying? Did someone do something? Did Azu-"

"This is nothing to do with my sister. Or any of my family for that matter. Or- well- I mean guess my Uncle had some influence on it- I'm getting off track." He stops and looks at us all, "Dragons. They're back."

Suki's voice breaks the silence that overwhelms the room. "What? Zuko, _how_ are the dragons back?" she asks, almost as if he were a toddler.

He shrugs and I get a dropping sensation in my stomach. If dragons were back, that could mean a lot of destruction if we didn't handle it well. And I've never owned a dragon. My past life, yes. Current life, nope. Not at all. And I don't plan too. Appa's crazy enough.

Zuko leans against the wall and crosses his arms. Something I find he does a lot when he's thinking, or explaining something. "When Aang and I went to the Sun Warriors, we came face to face with the last Dragons, Ran and Shaw. I went back to the Sun warriors to ask some unanswered questions I had, and I found out some interesting things." He turned his head sideways as if contemplating about what he was going to say. He turns back to us, his eyes sharp. "Ran and Shaw, the fire bending masters, are one male, and one female."

Sokka stretches his arms behind his head. "Great history lesson, Zuko, but we thought you had something better-"

"They can repopulate," Katara breaths beside me.

I see Zuko nod. "Exactly. And Dragons live for _centuries. _They don't die unless killed, or due to grief. This means that Ran and Shaw could 'repopulate' as Katara put it, and make a lot of dragons."

My eyes widen. _Oh. _"But what if they don't?" I ask.

Zuko looks directly at me, his eyes digging into my head. It's always hard to keep eye contact with him. "They already have."

"What!? You're telling me that there are baby dragons just… _flying _around the Sun Warriors' civilization!?" I ask. I see Zuko put his finger to his mouth, telling me to quiet down. "Are you serious!?" I ask in a hushed whisper.

He leans up from against the wall and walks towards us, "Yeah. Nothing major will happen until they can fly, but that won't be long."

"I understand this is big news, but this won't effect us that much will it? Dragons coming back would be a _good _thing, right?" Suki asks.

I look to her and nod in agreement. This is a big deal, but why the secrecy? "She's got a point," I vogue.

"I don't know where you guys have been in the past 100 years, but dragons are considered an enemy to the Fire Nation. Why do you think they hunted them in the first place? My Uncle said the spiritual balance that the dragons used as a connection with us was thrown off when Sozin decided to hunt them. The only loyal dragon that remained was Roku's, and it died with him in the Volcano." Zuko took his head into his hands, "If they come back, the spiritual balance will go off again and they'll begin to attack us!" he says.

I cross my arms, "I won't let that happen."

"Neither will I, but destruction will come wether we want it or not," Zuko says. "The only way we can stop it is if we go to the Sun Warriors and convince them that the dragons need to help us create that bond again."

I see Sokka raise his fist into the air, "We're back! Let's get on Appa and fly to the Sun Warriors' place and-"

"Sokka, we can't just go without a plan." Katara looks at him.

He sighs, "I can't finish a single sentence without being-"

"Stop complaining, Sokka, we've got a lot to plan." Zuko says and turns around, leaning against the post once again.

I laugh at Sokka's expression but feel no sympathy. "We'll go tonight. If we bring Toph, she may be able to help us with finding any secret tunnels." I say, but I instantly regret my last words. Forever… that song will be stuck in my head _forever _now.

Zuko nods, "I'll meet you at the front gate tomorrow at noon."

We nod and leave. If the dragons do plan on attacking, we have a _lot _to plan for…

**Crazy? Care to share?**

**We Cracka-lackin.**


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